---
layout: "default"
title: "Printable"
description: "Swift documentation for 'Printable': A type with a customized textual representation."
keywords: "Printable,protocol,swift,documentation,description"
root: "/v1.2"
---

<div class="intro-declaration"><code class="language-swift">protocol Printable</code></div>

<div class="discussion comment">
    <p>A type with a customized textual representation.</p>

<p>This textual representation is used when values are written to an
<em>output stream</em>, for example, by <code>print</code> and <code>println</code>.</p>

<p>In order to generate a textual representation for an instance of any
type (which might or might not conform to <code>Printable</code>), use <code>toString</code>.</p>
</div>

<table class="standard">
<tr>
<th id="inheritance">Inheritance</th>
<td>
<span class="viz"><a href="hierarchy/">View Protocol Hierarchy &rarr;</a></span>
</td>
</tr>



<tr>
<th>Import</th>
<td><code class="language-swift">import Swift</code></td>
</tr>

</table>




<h3>Instance Variables</h3>
<div class="declaration" id="var-description_-string">
<a class="toggle-link" data-toggle="collapse" href="#comment-var-description_-string">var description: String</a> <span class="required">Required</span><div class="comment collapse" id="comment-var-description_-string"><div class="p">
    <p>A textual representation of <code>self</code>.</p>

    <h4>Declaration</h4>    
    <code class="language-swift">var description: String { get }</code>

    </div></div>
</div>





